Squeezer for mop heads



1966 M. SCHONBERGER 3,280,418

SQUEEZER FOR MOP HEADS Filed Sept. 5. 1963 vnuunnnunm UUIJDUDHUDHD 49 52 HQ 5 FIG. 4 u M m m l/V VENT 01?. Milton Schonberger ATTORNEY.

p 3,280,418 SQUEEZER FOR MOP HEADS Milton Schonberger, Westwood, N.J., assignor to I.N.M. Industries Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 306,816 10 Claims. (Cl. 15261) The present invention relates to squeeze or wringer devices for washing and scrubbing mops of the sponge type.

t is one of the objects of the invention to provide a squeeze device for mop heads which is extremely simple in construction yet is efficient in operation and can be adapted for use with mop heads of different types and particularly with sponge mops of different shapes, sizes and compositions.

Another and important object of the invention is to provide a squeezer or wringer mechanism for a sponge mop which, when operated, is so remote from the operator that neither his nor her hands or clothing can be soiled by the expressed water; the construction being also such that eflicient wringing of the mop head can be accomplished without strain on the user.

A still further object is to provide a squeezer or wringer which is separate from the mop and its handle and which can be mounted on or suspended from the side wall of a bucket or pail or from the central wall of a Z-compartment bucket or pail.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide a wringer of clam-shell or clamp construction which is set into operation by downward pressure on the handle after insertion of the mop within the wringer.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a wringer construction of such nature that the squeezing operation is accomplished solely by the aforementioned downward pressure on the handle of the mop, so that the squeezed out water flows directly into the bucket or pail and the operator is in no danger of being soiled by the expelled soiled water.

A still further object is to provide an improved wringer of particular utility with sponge mops of more or less parallelepiped shape and which is normally of U-shape with flaring side walls which are brought into substantial parallelism, when the mop head is inserted in the wringer and then forced downward by means of the handle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following further description thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

I FIG. 1 is a view in elevation, partly in section, of a 2- compartment pail with the wringer of the invention for use with sponge rnops of substantially parallelopiped shape, the wringer being suspended from the central dividing wall of the pail;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section of the wringer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the wringer with the clamshell wringer plates in their depressedv position, with parts broken away to show the position of one of the camming wedges;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the outer surface of the clamshell wringer in the extended, flat condition; while FIG. 5 is a cross-section of the blank from which the clam-shell wringer of FIG. 4 is manufactured.

Referring to the dravw'ngs, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the several views, there is shown a squeeze or wringer device which is separate from the mop itself (not shown), so that it is not only not carried about with the mop, but is so constructed United States Patent C 3283, 1 l 8 Patented Oct. 25, 1966 "ice that the user does not touch the mop head with the hands, nor is she exposed in any way to soiling by the expressed water.

The wringer device comprises a squeezer in the form of a normally V-shaped clam-shell-like or preferably a U-shaped integral clamp 48 formed of two flaring sides 49 and 50 joined by a central web 51 about which the sides 49 and 50 are adapted to pivot. The parts 49, 5t and 51 are preferably integral with each other, although they may be formed of two hinged parts. The outer face of one of the sides is provided with two or more wedges 52 (or a single wide wedge) secured thereto for a purpose which will shortly be explained.

The squeezer clamp 48 is open at its ends and normally rests in the manner shown in FIG. 1 upon the upper end of receiver 53 which is likewise open at its ends. In the form illustrated, the receiver is of rough U-shaped construction with flaring sides 54, 55 at a slight inclination to the vertical and joined by a bottom wall 56. The receiver 53 is of relatively rigid construction, and may be made of metal, although it can be manufactured also from plastic material of high strength which may be suitably reinforced.

To insure against spreading of the side Walls of the receiver 53, straps 57a may be provided near its upper end which connect the side walls 54 and 55. One of the side walls, such as the wall 54, is provided with a laterally extending hook-shaped flange 57 which is adapted to fit over the wall of a pail or bucket. A suitable type of pail is the known two-compartment pail, one of which can hold soapy water and the other rinsing water. Thus the compartment 58 may be the soapy water-containing compartment, while the other, indicated at 59, contains the clean rinse water. The pail is preferably made of plastic material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, styrene, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the receiver rests by way of its hooked flange upon the top of the dividing walls of the pail which pail is provided with flexible stops 60 in the opposite end walls which permit the flange 50 to be inserted thereunder upon spreading the pail and/ or upward manual distortion of the stops. The bottom wall of the receiver 53 is provided with drainage holes, and, if desired, also the side walls, to facilitate the flow of squeezed-out soiled water into the compartment 58.

The squ'eeze clamp 48 is shown in flattened condition in FIG. 4, from which it will be seen that it is provided with a large number of drainage holes 61. In the form illustrated, the holes extend over the whole area of the side 50 to which the wedges 52 are attached. I have found that they need extend for only a part of the height of the wall 49. The bottom wall section 56 is provided with a series of larger, rectangular openings 62 both for drainage purposes and also to make this section of the wall more flexible so as to serve as the hinge for the two side walls.

A molded blank from which the clamp 48 is manufactured is shown in FIG. 5. It will be seen that the central wall portion 56 is of reduced thickness, in order further to aid its function as to the hinge of the clam-shell squeeze clamp 48. The bottom wall section is preferably provided with integral tabs or extensions 63 which serve to engage the bottom edges of the straps 570, as the withdrawn mop head may carry the clamp with it, and prevent further rise of the clamp out of the receiver 53.

In the use of the wringer, the mop head is first brought into an in-line position with respect to the mop handle in which it extends parallel to the handle. The mop head is then inserted between the spread-apart walls or jaws of the clamp 48 which is then in the position shown in FIG. 1. The user then presses down on the mop handle and the clamp is forced downward into the receiver 53. As the clamp descends, the wall 50 is forced toward the Wall 49 by the wedges 52, while at the same time the Wall 49 moves toward the wall 50, owing to the fact that the wall 54 of the receiver is less inclined to the vertical than is the wall 49. As the squeezer descends further, greater pressure is applied to the mop head, and it becomes compressed to a greater and greater extent, the exuding water passing through the openings 61 and 62 into the receiver from which it is discharged through the openings in the bottom wall of the latter and into the compartment 58.

The receiver 53 is so shaped, that is, the width of its bottom wall and the angle of inclination of its walls to the vertical are such that by the time the squeezer 48 reaches the bottom of the receiver, the mop head has been compressed to the maximum extent and the clamping walls 49 and 50 are substantially parallel. The size and shape of the receiver can be such that the squeezer descends to the bottom wall of the receiver. However, this is not necessary; and if desired, one or more strong leaf springs 64, as shown in FIG. 3, may be positioned on the bottom wall of the receiver, these springs compressed at the bottom wall of the squeezer approaches the bottom wall of the receiver. The compressed springs then initiate the upward movement of the squeezer as soon as pressure on the mop handle ceases, and the user begins the withdrawa-l movement of the mop. Through such movement, the squeezer may rise with the mop head, but such rise is limited by engagement of the tabs 63 with the underside of the straps 57a.

For a most efficient removal of water from the mop head, the outside dimension of the bottom wall of the squeez'er 48 should not be substantially greater than the inside dimension of the bottom portion of the receiver 53. It is desirable also that the wall 54 of the receiver make an angle somewhat greater than 90 with the bottom wall 56. The angularity of the wedges is such, in relation to the inclination of the walls of the receiver, that as already indicated, when the mop head has been forced downward the receiver to the greatest possible extent, the walls 49 and 50 are substantially parallel. As a result, uniform pressure is applied throughout the whole area of the mop head. It will also be noted that the walls 49 and 50 approach each other gradually, so that the force that needs to be applied through the mop handle is not excessive.

It will be obvious that during the squeezing operation, the mop is at such a large distance from the hands and body of the user that there is no danger of soiled water touching the person of the user or her clothing.

While I have shown the squeezer mechanism as mounted upon the central dividing wall of 'a two-compartment pail, it will be obvious that the squeezer can be mounted also upon a wall of a single-compartment pail or the like, or can be made to bridge the opposite walls (in the case of a rectangular pail) or diametrically opposite points (in the case of a circular pail) by replacing the hooked flange 57 with hooked flanges extending outwardly from the straps 57a.

I claim:

1. A squeezer for mop heads comprising an integral depressible squeezer clamp substantially U-shaped in cross section with flaring side walls, said flaring walls making a sufiicient angle with each other for the easy insertion of a mop head, and fixed means receiving and m-ovably mounting the clamp, said fixed means arranged to be engaged by the walls of the clamp as the latter is bodily depressed and so spaced that as the mop head is pressed downwardly to depress the squeezer clamp, the walls of the clamp are forced toward each other to a substantially parallel relation to effect squeezing out of the water from the mop head.

2. A squeezer for mop heads comprising an integral clamp substantially U-shaped in cross-section with flaring forced bodily downwardly into the receiver while its side walls are at the same time forced into substantial parallelism with each other by the walls of the receiver with resultant expressing of water contained in the mop head.

3. A squeezer comprising an integral clamp substantially U-shap-ed in cross-section with flaring side walls and provided with drainage holes, a receiver having opposed walls, said squeezer being mounted on said receiver and movable bodily thereinto, the opposed walls of the receiver being so spaced that upon insertion of a mop head in the clamp and the application of downward pressure on the mop handle, the clamp is forced bodily downwardly into the receiver while its side walls are at the same time fonced into substantial parallelism with each other by engagement with the walls of the receiver with resultant expressing of water contained in the mop head.

4. A squeezer for mop heads comprising a clamp substantially U-shaped in cross-section with flaring side walls and provided with drainage holes, said clamp having a bottom wall, a receiver having opposed walls making a smaller angle with reference to each other than the angle of the walls of the U-clamp, said clamp being mounted on said receiver, whereby upon insertion of a mop head into the clamp and the application of downward pressure on the mop handle, the clamp is forced downwardly into the receiver while its side walls are at the same time brought into substantial parallelism with each other with resultant expressing of water contained in the mop head, said squeezer including a two-part bucket having a central dividing wall, one of the walls of the receiver terminating in a hooked flange fitting over the top edge of such dividing wall, the walls of the receiver being provided with connecting straps near the top edges thereof, the bottom wall of the clamp being provided with laterally extending tabs adapted to engage the under edges of the straps to limit the upward movement of the clamp upon withdrawal of the mop head.

5. A mop head squeezer according to claim 2, wherein one of the walls of the clamp is provided with at least one wedge which effects movement of such wall toward the other wall as the clamp is forced into the receiver.

6. A mop head squeezer according to claim 2, including a two-part bucket having a. central dividing wall, one of the walls of the receiver terminating in a hooked flange fitting over the top edge of such dividing wall.

7. A mop head squeezer according to claim 6, wherein the two-compartment bucket is provided with stop members on the inner walls thereof directly above the dividing wall and a portion of the receiver, said stops acting to prevent upward movement of the receiver as a squeezed out mop head is withdrawn from the clamp.

8. A mop head squeezer according to claim 2, wherein the walls of the receiver are provided with connecting straps near the top edges thereof, and wherein the bottom wall of the clamp is provided with laterally extended tabs adapted to engage the under edges of the straps to limit the upward movement of the clamp upon withdrawal of the mop head.

9. A squeeze device according to claim 3, wherein one of the walls of the clamp is provided with at least one Wedge which eflFects movement of such wall toward the other wall as the clamp is forced into the receiver.

10. A squeeze device according to claim 3, wherein the receiver is mounted on a two-compartment bucket having an inner dividing wall and provided with stop members above such wall disposed above a portion of the receiver and acting to prevent upward movement of from the clamp.

5 the receiver as a squeezed-out mop head is withdrawn 2,497,468 2,671,239 2,796,617 References Cited by the Examiner 2,844,837 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2867832 11/1924 Lear 15264 4/1929 Pelz 15261 549,539 5/1936 Chew 15261 7/1942 Trindl et a1. 15261 10 3/1947 Hutchins 15261 Poirier et a1. 15-262 Wisner 15-260 Bradshaw 151 Mackert 15244 Hanninen 15-244 Great Britain.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Examiner. 

1. A SQUEEZER FOR MOP HEADS COMPRISING AN INTEGRAL DEPRESSIBLE SQUEEZER CLAMP SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED IN CROSS SECTION WITH FLARING SIDE WALLS, SAID FLARING WALLS MAKING A SUFFICIENT ANGLE WITH EACH OTHER FOR THE EASY INSERTION OF A MOP HEAD, AND FIXED MEANS RECEIVING AND MOVABLY MOUNTING THE CLAMP, SAID FIXED MEANS ARRANGED TO BE ENGAGED BY THE WALLS OF THE CLAMP AS THE LATTER IS BODILY DEPRESSED AND SO SPACED THAT AS THE MOP HEAD IS PRESSED DOWNWARDLY TO DEPRESS THE SQUEEZER CLAMP, THE WALLS OF THE CLAMP ARE FORCED TOWARD EACH OTHER TO A SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RELATION TO EFFECT SQUEEZING OUT OF THE WATER FROM THE MOP HEAD. 